The Lars Larson Show Interviews

Penny Rosenberg, an award-winning investigative reporter with the Oregon Journalism Project, joins Lars to discuss Oregon’s restrictions on public potlucks using food prepared in private homes. The discussion centers on a Nehalem couple who ran into trouble with county health officials and the potential penalties, which can include a fine of up to $1,250 and 30 days in jail. State Rep. Cyrus Javad...

Ally Triolo, the Republican National Committee’s election integrity communications director, joins Lars to discuss a lawsuit against Lansing, Michigan, election officials. The RNC alleges that the city appointed 140 Democratic poll workers and only 71 Republicans, despite state law requiring poll worker positions to be divided as evenly as possible between the two parties. The lawsuit also challen...

Deron Smallcomb, an immigration attorney, author of Securing America’s Future and founder of Modern Law Group, joins Lars to discuss the federal investigation involving Rep. Ilhan Omar and a search of her home by Homeland Security Investigations. The discussion examines allegations about Omar’s immigration history, which she has denied, and what the ongoing investigation could mean for the Minneso...

Esteban Elizondo, associate editor at Campus Reform, joins Lars to discuss a Harvard University seminar exploring community ownership as an alternative to capitalism. The course examines concepts including “racial capitalism” and “settler colonialism,” raising questions about how elite universities approach capitalism, private ownership and economic systems. Send us Fan Mail

Mike Fox, a legal fellow with the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal Justice, joins Lars to discuss a shooting involving federal immigration agents in New York City. The conversation examines the case of Oscar Belgal, whom authorities say has ties to the Trinitarios gang and a criminal record, and the earlier ICE request to take him into custody that was not honored under New York’s sanctuary po...

Annelle Sheline, a research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and a former U.S. State Department foreign affairs officer, joins Lars to discuss American support for Saudi military operations in Yemen. She argues that President Trump should not restart direct U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis, pointing to the cost and limited effectiveness of previous campaigns and warning...

Maria Keffler, former middle and high school teacher and co-founder of Advocates Protecting Children, joins Lars to discuss New York City’s plans for $8.9 million in contracts to provide gender-transition treatments to minors. The contracts would cover services including puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy, as the city moves forward despite two major hospital systems agreeing to end g...

Angela Morabito, director of media outreach at the Defense of Freedom Institute, joins Lars to discuss the Trump administration’s investigation into nine universities over alleged misuse of J-1 visas for international researchers. The administration alleges the universities used the visas to hire foreign researchers at lower wages instead of relying on American workers, and the Labor Department’s...

Geoffrey Dickens, director of media analysis at the Media Research Center’s NewsBusters, joins Lars to discuss the week’s most controversial media quotes, including actors Robert De Niro and Mark Ruffalo’s remarks at an election rally.  Send us Fan Mail

Joel Retzlaff joins Lars to discuss why his daughter, Sierra, and another Skyview High School cross-country runner stepped off the starting line in protest after learning a biological male would compete in their girls’ race at Camas High School. The discussion centers on the athletes’ protest and Washington’s Initiative 638, which would prohibit transgender girls from competing in school sports de...

Kostas Moros, director of legal research and education at the Second Amendment Foundation, joins Lars to discuss a legal settlement involving the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in California. The county agreed to end restrictions on red-dot sights, pistol-mounted lights and certain handgun styles for concealed-carry permit holders after the foundation sued, arguing the restrictions violated...

Oregon Rep. Dwayne Yunker joins Lars to discuss the delayed release of a state report outlining a proposed universal health care plan. Yunker argues that the delay may violate state law and prevent voters from reviewing the plan before the November 3 election.  Send us Fan Mail

Ryan Frost, director of budget and tax policy at the Washington Policy Center, joins Lars to discuss a new study projecting that Washington’s 9.9% income tax on earnings above $1 million could cost the state thousands of jobs and slow economic growth. The report estimates Washington could have 18,800 fewer full-time jobs by 2036 and warns that lawmakers could eventually lower the income threshold....

Dr. Eric Fruits, adjunct scholar at Cascade Policy Institute, senior scholar at the International Center for Law & Economics, and professor of economics at Portland State University, joins Lars to discuss Oregon’s proposed financing model for a universal health-care plan. The state’s governance board has modeled a 10.1% health-care income tax and a 9.6% employer payroll tax, with lawmakers exp...

Josh Marquis, a former district attorney, joins Lars to discuss whether a failed lethal-injection attempt should prompt a pause in executions while officials investigate what went wrong. The conversation follows the case of Christa Pike in Tennessee and the subsequent execution of Jamaal Howard in Texas using the same drug, pentobarbital. With lawyers seeking additional information about the drug...

Ken Hunter, executive director of the Campaign for Personal Prescription Importation, joins Lars to discuss a federal customs rule that could make it harder for millions of Americans to obtain less expensive medications shipped from Canada and other countries. The script reports that the suspension of the $800 de minimis exemption, scheduled for October 22, will require additional customs data and...

Ken Vance, editor of Clark County Today, joins Lars to discuss the controversy surrounding a Camas High School athlete who reportedly competed on both the boys’ and girls’ cross-country teams during the same season. The Camas School District says it follows Washington Interscholastic Activities Association eligibility standards, which permit students to participate in athletics consistent with the...

Kyle Hatfield, CEO and co-founder of Cents-less, joins Lars to discuss the rising cost of producing U.S. coins and whether the nickel should be the next denomination reconsidered by lawmakers. With production reportedly costing taxpayers roughly eight cents more than the nickel’s five-cent face value, the conversation follows efforts to eliminate the penny and proposals to study cheaper materials...

Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, joins Lars to discuss the criminal harassment case involving Ohio political blogger DJ Byrnes and state Sen. Jerry Cirino. Byrnes is accused of sending the lawmaker an explicit image of the cartoon character Shrek, an incident that has led to a trial over whether the message constituted unlawful harassm...

Deborah Collier, vice president of policy and government affairs at Citizens Against Government Waste, joins Lars to examine the Navy’s Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, a major modernization effort that has seen projected costs climb dramatically. Initially estimated to cost at least $21 billion over 20 years, the project now faces costs exceeding $200 billion and delays stretching de...

Dr. David Tarpy, professor of applied ecology and extension apiculturist at North Carolina State University, joins Lars to revisit years of warnings about declining honeybee populations and the threat of colony collapse disorder. Did the original warnings accurately reflect the long-term risks, or did some media coverage overstate the crisis? Send us Fan Mail

Simon Osamoh, former head of counterterrorism at the Mall of America, joins Lars to discuss an FBI operation that stopped an alleged terror plot targeting the mall. According to federal authorities, an 18-year-old suspect had been under investigation for nearly two years before undercover agents sold him an AK-47 and ammunition.  Send us Fan Mail

Brenna Bird, Iowa Attorney General, joins Lars to discuss her lawsuit against TP-Link, alleging the company misled consumers about its ties to China and the cybersecurity risks posed by its routers. Bird argues that Chinese government-linked entities could potentially gain access to Americans’ devices and personal information, raising concerns about whether TP-Link routers should be allowed in Ame...

Cliff Nance, owner and CEO of Tungco, joins Lars to discuss the growing U.S. investment in Ukraine’s critical mineral resources and the first deal reached through the U.S.-Ukraine reconstruction investment fund. They discuss why minerals such as tungsten matter to America’s defense and technology industries, whether additional U.S. capital should be invested in Ukraine, and what the deal means for...

Dan Perkins, co-author of The Democrat Murder of America, joins Lars to discuss California’s Truth In Disclosure Act and its requirement that large companies with business histories dating back before 1964 disclose whether they had historical ties to slavery. They discuss the push for corporations to reveal their connections to slavery more than a century ago, the potential for the disclosures to...